Combined mess-chest and stove



(Nd Model.) v 2 SheetsSheet 1.

J. A. H. MYERS. COMBINED MESS CHEST AND STOVE.

No. 582,363. Patented May 11, 1897.

2 S'heetsSheet 2.

J. A. H. MYERS. COMBINED MESS CHEST AND STOVE.

(N0 Model.)

Patented May 11,1897.

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NITED STATES JOSEPH A. H. MYERS, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

COMBINED MESS-CHEST AND STOVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 582,363, dated May 11,1897. Application filed January 8, 1896. Serial No. 574,731. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH A. H. MYERS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Springfield, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, haveinvented a new and useful Combined Mess-Chest and Camping-Stove, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a combined messchest and camping-stove designedfor the use of militia and camping parties when in the field, and alsoadapted for indoor use, the objects in view being to provide areceptacle for containing and transporting camp cooking utensils andequipage and so constructed as to perform the functions of acookingstove with top plates, oven, warming-shelves, ash-receivers, andother features common to cooking-stoves.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in thefollowing description, and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a mess-chestembodying my invention as seen when closed ready for transportation.Fig. 2 is a similar view showing'the device open and ready for use as acookingstove. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal central section of the apparatusas seen in Fig. 1, the end warming-shelf and door of the oven beingshown open in dotted lines. Fig. 4 is a .transverse section on the line4 4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is adetail transverse section of a stove-lid and the contiguous portions ofthe stove top or plate.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

The casing or shell 1 of the chest embodying myinvention may be of anydesired shape and size, that shown in the drawings being oblong in planwith a fire-box 2 at the front end near the top, a telescopingsmoke-flue 3 at the rear end rising vertically above the top, aconductor or passage 4, extending from the fire-box to the smoke-flueparallel with the top of the receptacle, an ash-chute 5, located underthe fire-box and separated therefrom by a grate 6, and an oven andpacking-receptacle 7, extending from the front to the rear of the shellor casing under the smoke conductor or passage 4.

The rear end of the oven and packing-receptacle 7 is closed bya hingeddoor 8, which is adapted when open to occupya horizontal position, asshown in full lines in Fig. 2 and in dotted lines in Fig. 3, the samebeing held in this open position by means of a toothed or rack brace 9,the teeth of which are adapted to engage a detent 10 at the bottom ofthe opening at the rear end of the shell, said brace being designed toclose or fold into the oven or receptacle 7 when the door is closed, asshown in full lines in Fig. 3.

The sheetmetal plate 11, by which the smoke conductor or passage 7 isseparated from the body portion of the receptacle, is arranged parallelwith the top plate 12 and terminates short of the front end of the stoveto form the fire-box 2, the rear wall 13 of said firebox being connectedat its front edge to said horizontal partition 11 by means of anangleiron 14, (shown in Fig. 3,) said rear wall 13 being extended belowthe plane of the grate 6 to form the downwardly and forwardly inclinedbottom 15 of the ash-chute 5. The front of this ash-chute is providedwith a draftopening 16, closed by a draft or ash door 17,

also provided with a segmental rack 18, adapted to engage a detent 19,whereby the door may be held open at any desired inclination.

In order to catch the ashes and cinders dropping through the grate intothe ash-chute, particularly when the apparatus is used indoors, Iprovide an ash box or receptacle 20, which is temporarily secured to thefront side of the shell or casing by means of hooks 21, engagingsuitable openings in the front wall of the shell. Obviously when thedevice is packed for transportation this ash box or receptacle may bedetached and arranged within the shell or casing, preferably in thefire-box.

The sides, bottom, and ends of the shell or casing are preferably formedof sheet metal and are connected at the angles by angleirons 22, theportion of the rear angle-iron which is arranged transversely at thebottom of the opening in the rear end of the shell or casing forming thedetent 10 for engagement by the teeth of the rack-bar 9.

The top 12 may also be of sheet metal from the rear end of the shell orcasing to a point near the front, the remainder of the top being formedby a stove-plate 23, of cast metal or its equivalent, formed in sections23" and 23 but I preferably, as shown, construct the entire top of castmetal. The stove-plate sections are secured in the shell or casing bymeans of rabbeted clip-plates 24, bolted, as at 25, to the sections andengaging the horizontal flanges of angle-irons 26, which are secured tothe side walls of the shell or casing below the plane of the upper edgesof said walls. Said horizontal flanges of the angle-irons 26 aredesignated in the drawings as 26 and form ledges upon which thestove-plate sections rest, as shown clearly in Fig. 5.

The stove-plate sections are provided with stove-holes 27, in which arefitted the stove lids 28, the contiguous edges of the stove-lids andplate-sections being rabbeted, as shown at 29, and the stove-lids beingprovided with clips 30 to engage the under surfaces of the stove-platesections and hold the lids in place. The projecting extremities of theseclips 30 are adapted to pass down through notches 31 in theinwardly-projecting ledges 32, upon which the stove-lids rest, saidledges being formed by the rabbets 29, above described.

The protecting-plate 33 is hinged to one side wall of the shell orcasing and is adapted to cover and conceal the stove-plate sections, andstove-lids, the same being provided at its free edge with a hasp 34 toengage a staple 35, and I preferably employ stop-hinges 36 to connectthe protecting-plate to the shell or casing, whereby when the plate isopened to expose the stove-lids it is held in a horizontal position bymeans of the shoulders 37 of said hinges to form a warming-shelf. Afire-box door 38 is formed in one side wall of the shell or casing togive access to the firebox, and suitable handles 39 are arranged in theside walls to facilitate the carrying of the device. These handles arepreferably arranged flush with the surfaces of the side walls and areformed by openings in said walls closed at the inner side by castingsconstructed in the form of handles, said castings being riveted to theinner surfaces of the walls.

hen the device is packed for transportation, the telescoping stovepipe,the ash box or receptacle, and the various cooking utensils necessaryfor carrying on the culinary operations are packed in the maincompartment 7, which when the device is in use as a stove forms theoven, after which the doors 8 and 17 are closed, and theprotecting-cover 33 is secured in place to prevent the displacement ofthe movable parts of the device. \Vhen thus arranged, the apparatus isin the form of a trunk or chest which may be loaded upon a vehiclewithout the risk of injury to its parts, the same occupying acomparatively small amount of space.

A socket 40 is formed in the top plate 12, 1

preferably near the rear end, for the reception of the standard of alantern to give the necessary illumination when cookin g at night.

From the above description it will be seen that by reason of thespecific arrangement of the interior of the chest, with the roof orupper side of its main compartment or oven formed by a partition whichconstitutes the lower wall of the smoke-conductor and firebox, the stovemechanism is arranged compactl y and in such a position as not tointerfere materially with the packing of the camping utensils in themain compartment, while at the same time said stove apparatus isarranged within the contour or rectan gularlines of the chest.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is-- 1. A combinationmess-chest and campstove of exteriorly rectangular construction havingan interior partition forming the upper wall of a main compartment oroven and the lower wall of a smoke-conductor and firebox, while theupper side of the chest forms the upper wall of said smoke-conductor andfirebox and is provided over the latter with stoveholes fitted withremovable lids, and doors closing openings in the walls of the chest,respectively in communication with the fire-box and the main compartmentor oven, substantially as specified.

2. A mess-chest having a fire-box and a smoke conductor or passage, adownwardly and forwardly inclined ash-chute located below the grate ofthe fire-box and having an opening in the front of the chest, and adraft and ash door closing said opening and provided with means wherebyit may be secured in its open position to allow ashes to escape,substantially as specified.

3. A mess-chest having a fire-box and a smoke-conducting passage, anash-chute arranged below the grate of the fire-box and having adownwardly and forwardly inclined floor, a draft and ash door closing anopening at the front of the ash-chute, and an ash box or receptacledetachably secured to the front of the chest below said opening toreceive ashes from the chute, substantially as specified.

4. A mess-chest having a fire-box and a smoke-conducting passageseparated from the main compartment by an interposed partition andprovided with draft and fuel doors, a hinged door fitting an opening inthe wall of the chest in communication with the main compartment, and atoothed or rack brace connected to said hinged door and adapted toengage a fixed detent whereby the door may be held in a horizontalposition to serve as a warming-shelf, substantially as specified.

5. A mess-chest having a fire-box and a smoke-conducting passage, thetop of the firebox being fitted with removable stove-lids, and awarmingshelf hinged at one edge to the chest in the plane of its top andadapted when not in use to be folded parallel and in contact with thetop of the chest to cover and secure said stove-lids againstdisplacement during transportation, said shelf being provided withfastening devices to secure it in its folded position, substantially asspecified.

6. A mess-chest having a fire-box and a smoke-conducting passage, thetop of the fireboX being fitted with removable stove-lids, awarming-shelf hinged at one edge to the chest in the plane of its top,and provided with stophinges to hold it in a horizontal position approximately in the plane of the top of the chest when extended, saidshelf being adapted to be folded parallel and in contact with the top ofthe chest to cover and prevent displacement of said stove-lids duringtransportation, and locking devices for securing the warmingshelf in itsfolded position, substantially as specified.

I11 testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH A. H. MYERS.

Witnesses:

O. E. SMITH, DALLAS V. HALVERSTADT.

